man and superman-第25章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


Looking　at　it　from　the　wide　end　of　the　horse…shoe；　one　sees；　a
little　to　the　right；　in　the　face　of　the　cliff；　a　romantic　cave
which　is　really　an　abandoned　quarry；　and　towards　the　left　a
little　hill；　commanding　a　view　of　the　road；　which　skirts　the
amphitheatre　on　the　left；　maintaining　its　higher　level　on
embankments　and　on　an　occasional　stone　arch。　On　the　hill；
watching　the　road；　is　a　man　who　is　either　a　Spaniard　or　a
Scotchman。　Probably　a　Spaniard；　since　he　wears　the　dress　of　a
Spanish　goatherd　and　seems　at　home　in　the　Sierra　Nevada；　but
very　like　a　Scotchman　for　all　that。　In　the　hollow；　on　the　slope
leading　to　the　quarry…cave；　are　about　a　dozen　men　who；　as　they
recline　at　their　cave　round　a　heap　of　smouldering　white　ashes　of
dead　leaf　and　brushwood；　have　an　air　of　being　conscious　of
themselves　as　picturesque　scoundrels　honoring　the　Sierra　by
using　it　as　an　effective　pictorial　background。　As　a　matter　of
artistic　fact　they　are　not　picturesque；　and　the　mountains
tolerate　them　as　lions　tolerate　lice。　An　English　policeman　or
Poor　Law　Guardian　would　recognize　them　as　a　selected　band　of
tramps　and　ablebodied　paupers。

This　description　of　them　is　not　wholly　contemptuous。　Whoever　has
intelligently　observed　the　tramp；　or　visited　the　ablebodied　ward
of　a　workhouse；　will　admit　that　our　social　failures　are　not　all
drunkards　and　weaklings。　Some　of　them　are　men　who　do　not　fit　the
class　they　were　born　into。　Precisely　the　same　qualities　that　make
the　educated　gentleman　an　artist　may　make　an　uneducated　manual
laborer　an　ablebodied　pauper。　There　are　men　who　fall　helplessly
into　the　workhouse　because　they　are　good　far　nothing；　but　there
are　also　men　who　are　there　because　they　are　strongminded　enough
to　disregard　the　social　convention　（obviously　not　a　disinterested
one　on　the　part　of　the　ratepayer）　which　bids　a　man　live　by
heavy　and　badly　paid　drudgery　when　he　has　the　alternative　of
walking　into　the　workhouse；　announcing　himself　as　a　destitute
person；　and　legally　compelling　the　Guardians　to　feed；　clothe　and
house　him　better　than　he　could　feed；　clothe　and　house　himself
without　great　exertion。　When　a　man　who　is　born　a　poet　refuses　a
stool　in　a　stockbroker's　office；　and　starves　in　a　garret；
spunging　on　a　poor　landlady　or　on　his　friends　and　relatives
rather　than　work　against　his　grain；　or　when　a　lady；　because　she
is　a　lady；　will　face　any　extremity　of　parasitic　dependence　rather
than　take　a　situation　as　cook　or　parlormaid；　we　make　large
allowances　for　them。　To　such　allowances　the　ablebodied　pauper　and
his　nomadic　variant　the　tramp　are　equally　entitled。

Further；　the　imaginative　man；　if　his　life　is　to　be　tolerable　to
him；　must　have　leisure　to　tell　himself　stories；　and　a　position
which　lends　itself　to　imaginative　decoration。　The　ranks　of
unskilled　labor　offer　no　such　positions。　We　misuse　our　laborers
horribly；　and　when　a　man　refuses　to　be　misused；　we　have　no　right
to　say　that　he　is　refusing　honest　work。　Let　us　be　frank　in　this
matter　before　we　go　on　with　our　play；　so　that　we　may　enjoy　it
without　hypocrisy。　If　we　were　reasoning；　farsighted　people；　four
fifths　of　us　would　go　straight　to　the　Guardians　for　relief；　and
knock　the　whole　social　system　to　pieces　with　most　beneficial
reconstructive　results。　The　reason　we　do　got　do　this　is　because
we　work　like　bees　or　ants；　by　instinct　or　habit；　not　reasoning
about　the　matter　at　all。　Therefore　when　a　man　comes　along　who　can
and　does　reason；　and　who；　applying　the　Kantian　test　to　his
conduct；　can　truly　say　to　us；　If　everybody　did　as　I　do；　the　world
would　be　compelled　to　reform　itself　industrially；　and　abolish
slavery　and　squalor；　which　exist　only　because　everybody　does　as
you　do；　let　us　honor　that　man　and　seriously　consider　the
advisability　of　following　his　example。　Such　a　man　is　the
able…bodied；　able…minded　pauper。　Were　he　a　gentleman　doing　his
best　to　get　a　pension　or　a　sinecure　instead　of　sweeping　a
crossing；　nobody　would　blame　him；　for　deciding　that　so　long　as
the　alternative　lies　between　living　mainly　at　the　expense　of　the
community　and　allowing　the　community　to　live　mainly　at　his；　it
would　be　folly　to　accept　what　is　to　him　personally　the　greater　of
the　two　evils。

We　may　therefore　contemplate　the　tramps　of　the　Sierra　without
prejudice；　admitting　cheerfully　that　our　objectsbriefly；
to　be　gentlemen　of　fortuneare　much　the　same　as　theirs；　and　the
difference　in　our　position　and　methods　merely　accidental。　One
or　two　of　them；　perhaps；　it　would　be　wiser　to　kill　without　malice
in　a　friendly　and　frank　manner；　for　there　are　bipeds；　just　as
there　are　quadrupeds；　who　are　too　dangerous　to　be　left　unchained
and　unmuzzled；　and　these　cannot　fairly　expect　to　have　other　men's
lives　wasted　in　the　work　of　watching　them。　But　as　society　has　not
the　courage　to　kill　them；　and；　when　it　catches　them；　simply
wreaks　on　them　some　superstitious　expiatory　rites　of　torture　and
degradation；　and　than　lets　them　loose　with　heightened
qualifications　for　mischief；　it　is　just　as　well　that　they　are　at
large　in　the　Sierra；　and　in　the　hands　of　a　chief　who　looks　as　if
he　might　possibly；　on　provocation；　order　them　to　be　shot。

This　chief；　seated　in　the　centre　of　the　group　on　a　squared　block
of　stone　from　the　quarry；　is　a　tall　strong　man；　with　a　striking
cockatoo　nose；　glossy　black　hair；　pointed　beard；　upturned
moustache；　and　a　Mephistophelean　affectation　which　is　fairly
imposing；　perhaps　because　the　scenery　admits　of　a　larger　swagger
than　Piccadilly；　perhaps　because　of　a　certain　sentimentality　in
the　man　which　gives　him　that　touch　of　grace　which　alone　can
excuse　deliberate　picturesqueness。　His　eyes　and　mouth　are　by　no
means　rascally；　he　has　a　fine　voice　and　a　ready　wit；　and　whether
he　is　really　the　strongest　man　in　the　party；　or　not；　he　looks　it。
He　is　certainly；　the　best　fed；　the　best　dressed；　and　the　best
trained。　The　fact　that　he　speaks　English　is　not　unexpected　in
spite　of　the　Spanish　landscape；　for　with　the　exception　of　one　man
who　might　be　guessed　as　a　bullfighter　ruined　by　drink　and　one
unmistakable　Frenchman；　they　are　all　cockney　or　American；
therefore；　in　a　land　of　cloaks　and　sombreros；　they　mostly　wear
seedy　overcoats；　woollen　mufflers；　hard　hemispherical　hats；　and
dirty　brown　gloves。　Only　a　very　few　dress　after　their　leader；
whose　broad　sombrero　with　a　cock's　feather　in　the　band；　and
voluminous　cloak　descending　to　his　high　boots；　are　as　un…English
as　possible。　None　of　them　are　armed；　and　the　ungloved　ones　keep
their　hands　in　their　pockets　because　it　is　their　national　belief
that　it　must　be　dangerously　cold　in　the　open　air　with　the　night
coming　on。　（It　is　as　warm　an　evening　as　any　reasonable　man　could
desire）。

Except　the　bullfighting　inebriate　there　is　only　one　person　in　the
company　who　looks　more　than；　say；　thirty…three。　He　is　a　small　man
with　reddish　whiskers；　weak　eyes；　and　the　anxious　look　of　a
small　tradesman　in　difficulties。　He　wears　the　only　tall　hat
visible：　it　shines　in　the　sunset　with　the　sticky　glow　of　some
sixpenny　patent　hat　reviver；　often　applied　and　constantly　tending
to　produce　a　worse　state　of　the　original　surface　than　the　ruin　it
was　applied　to　remedy。　He　has　a　collar　and　cuff　of　celluloid；　and
his　brown　Chesterfield　overcoat；　with　velvet　collar；　is　still
presentable。　He　is　pre…eminently　the　respectable　man　of　the
party；　and　is　certainly　over　forty；　possibly　over　fifty。　He　is
the　corner　man　on　the　leader's　right；　opposite　three　men　in
scarlet　ties　on　his　left。　One　of　these　three　is　the　Frenchman。　Of
the　remaining　two；　who　are　both　English；　one　is　argumentative；
solemn；　and　obstinate；　the　other　rowdy　and　mischievious。

The　chief；　with　a　magnificent　fling　of　the　end　of　his　cloak
across　his　left　shoulder；　rises　to　address　them。　The　applause
which　greets　him　shows　that　he　is　a　favorite　orator。

THE　CHIEF。　Friends　and　fellow　brigands。　I　have　a　proposal　to　make
to　this　meeting。　We　have　now　spent　three　evenings　in　discussing
the　question　Have　Anarchists　or　Social…Democrats　the　most
personal　courage？　We　have　gone　into　the　principles　of　Anarchism
and　Social…Democracy　at　great　length。　The　cause　of　Anarchy　has
been　ably　represented　by　our　one　Anarchist；　who　doesn't　know　what
Anarchism　means　＇laughter＇

THE